Muscat (AFP)
The new sultan of Oman Haitham ben Tarek deleted Thursday from the national anthem the name of his predecessor, Sultan Qabous, who died on January 10, the day after the end of the period of mourning.
"Sultan Haitham has issued a decree amending Schedule Three to the law concerning the national flag, emblem and national anthem," the official ONA news agency reported.
According to the decree, the words referring to the previous sultan - "Qaboos came by the grace of the heavens, be joyful and protect him in your prayers" - will be replaced by "look towards the heavens and fill the universe with light , be joyful and prosperous. "
Sultan Qaboos, unmarried and without children or brothers to succeed him, died at the age of 79 after a reign of almost 50 years.
His successor was appointed after a meeting of the royal family and immediately promised to continue the "foreign policy of non-interference" of his cousin.
During his reign, Sultan Qaboos modernized this country of the Arabian peninsula and consolidated its role of moderate and neutral State in a Gulf shaken by tensions, in particular because of the enmity between the United States, allies of the Arab States of the region, and Iran.
Haitham ben Tarek, 65 years old and passionate about sport, remains relatively unknown on the international scene but according to experts, who quote his experience as under secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his vision of diplomacy is the same as that of his cousin.
© 2020 AFP